Streets affected by project

THREE Dundee streets are the latest to be worked on as part of an ongoing series of works to the city’s water supply.

Upgrade work will be carried out this week by Scottish Water.

The roads affected are Kinghorne Road, Law Road and Annfield Street.

A lane closure on Strathmartine Road, between Strathmartine Avenue and Hill Street, was removed yesterday pre-rush hour and, with the northbound closure removed, the road has now fully reopened.

The maintenance is part of a £5million upgrade of the mains water supply in the city.

The work involves the lining and flushing of existing water mains, as well as some open cut mains replacement.

It is being carried out to ensure that high-quality drinking water is provided to city residents in the future.

Scottish Water is carrying out the work at a time of growth in the city, with the development of the Waterfront and construction of the V&A Museum.

Seven years ago, Tayside — along with the rest of the UK — froze in one of the worst winters the region has ever experienced.

The thermometer dropped to as low as -21C in some areas.

Now, the conditions which plunged the country into a month of sub-zero temperatures are set to return this week.

Emma Sharples, meteorologist at the Met Office, today said the “set-up” was comparable to the conditions in the lead-up to the Big Freeze.

Ms Sharples said: “There’s no doubt a cold spell is on its way.

“There’s been a number of cold spells this year already.

“The weather has been very changeable in the area — which makes it harder to predict what’s coming.

“But at night this week, we could see temperatures drop as low as the double negatives in Tayside.

“An area of high pressure is bringing that colder air from the Arctic.

“We’ll most likely see some flurries of snow too.”

The conditions bringing the cold snap are known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW), which regularly sees Scotland shiver for two weeks or longer and brings widespread snow.

Ms Sharples explained: “The end of the week will certainly feel colder — despite the drop at the start of the week.

“It was a chilly day yesterday for Dundee but there’s a wet and windy spell coming first where Tayside will

THE Big Freeze of 2010 could be set to return to Tayside with forecasters tipping the mercury to drop to as cold as -10C.

be battered by rain and blustery conditions before an easterly wind brings the colder air.

“Then it’s going to turn noticeably colder.

“It is starting to get a little late in the year for us to expect weeks of sub-zero temperatures.

“It can of course happen, but the chance does drop as we move into the middle of February. This is because the sun is warming up a little every day now.

“However, we are still expecting colder and drier conditions from the end of the week.

“We just aren’t sure how long it will last yet. It’s too far away to accurately predict what will happen.”

A yellow ice warning was put in place overnight in Tayside as the start of the cold weather was felt.

Temperatures have already fallen below zero on a number of occasions in 2017. Last month was one of driest ever Januarys since records began in 1910.

Ice flows in the River Tay. Extreme cold weather is set to return to the region.